The Alfred Wegener Medal & Honorary Membership of the EGU, form one of the three equally-ranked most prestigious awards made by the Union, and they are reserved for scientists who have achieved exceptional international standing in atmospheric, hydrological or ocean sciences, defined in their widest senses, for their merit and their scientific achievements.

The short citation says :

The Alfred Wegener Medal and Honorary EGU Membership are awarded to Michael Ghil for his leading contributions to theoretical climate dynamics ; his innovative observational studies involving model assimilation of satellite data in meteorology, oceanography and space physics ; the breadth of his interdisciplinary studies, including macroeconomics ; and for his extensive supervision and mentoring of scores of graduate and postdoctoral students.